Description

AGUSTARELLO AFFRE (SAINT-CHINIAN, 23 OCTOBER, 1858 – CAGNES-SUR-MER, FRANCE, 27 DECEMBER, 1931)

 

 

 

  

Discovered by Pierre Gailhard, he initially trained at the conservatories in Toulouse and Paris under Duvernoy. Affre made his debut in 1890 as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, with Nellie Melba as his partner, marking the beginning of his long association with the Grand Opéra.

Throughout the 1890s, he appeared in prominent French cities such as Lyon, Marseille, and Aix-les-Bains, before making his international debut in Brussels at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in 1900. Among his notable performances at the Grand Opéra were his roles in J. Massenet’s Le Mage (1891) and the French premiere of R. Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci in 1902. His repertoire also included important roles like Raoul in Les Huguenots, Eleazar in La Juive, Faust, and Samson in Samson et Dalila.

Affre made guest appearances in London at Covent Garden in 1909 and later in San Francisco (1911), New Orleans (1912), and Havana (1913). His powerful, heroic voice earned him the nickname “The French Tamagno,” drawing comparisons to the famous Italian tenor. He remained active during World War I, giving concerts to French soldiers near the front lines. He passed away in his villa on the Côte d’Azur and was laid to rest in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1890 Paris Grand Opera

1891 Paris Grand Opera

1902 Paris Grand Opera

1905 Paris Grand Opera

1909 London Covent Garden

1911 San Francisco Opera

1912 New Orleans Opera

1913 Havana Opera

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Africaine (Meyerbeer) Air de Vasco de Gama 3482 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
2. Africaine (Meyerbeer) Air de Vasco de Gama 3482 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
3. Aida (Verdi) Céleste Aida 3483 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
4. Carmen (Bizet) Air de la fleur 3486 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
5. Faust (Gounod) Laisse-moi contempler (w. Tanésy) 730 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
6. Faust (Gounod) Salut, ô mon dernier matin 3487, Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
7. Favorite (Donizetti) Ange si pur 3505 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
8. Favorite (Donizetti) Ange si pur 3505 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
9. Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Asile héréditaire 3484 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
10. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Beauté divine 3511 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
11. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Entrée de Raoul 3509 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
12. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Entrée de Raoul 3509 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
13. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Plus blanche 3496 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
14. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Plus blanche 3496 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
15. Les violettes (Rameau) 3499 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
16. Mage (Massenet) Air du mage 3490 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
17. Parais à ta fenêtre (Gregh) 3497 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
18. Prophète (Meyerbeer) Pour Bertha 3507 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
19. Quand l’oiseau chante (Tagliafico) 3491 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
20. Reine de Saba (Gounod) Inspirez-moi, race divine 3493 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
21. Reine de Saba (Gounod) Inspirez-moi, race divine 3493 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
22. Rigoletto (Verdi) Comme la plume au vent 3481 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
23. Rigoletto (Verdi) Comme la plume au vent 3481 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
24. Rigoletto (Verdi) Qu-une belle 3494 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
25. Rigoletto (Verdi) Qu’une belle 3494 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
26. Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Ah! jour de deuil 1516 Pathé, Paris 1912
27. Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Cavatine 3485 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)
28. Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Helas! moi le hair with Gall 1508 Pathe, Paris 1912
29. Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Salut! Tombeau! 1501 Pathe, Paris 1912
30. Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Scène du tombeau 3508 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
31. Sigurd (Reyer) Duo de la fontaine (w. Tanésy) 731 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
32. Stances (Flégier) 3495 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
33. Trovatore (Verdi) Misérère 3506 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
34. Trovatore (Verdi) Misérère Pathé 3506 Pathé, Paris 1910 (with orchestra)